Benson Hill Completes Second Major Feeding Trial in Broilers, Again Demonstrating Advantages of UHP-LO Soybean Meal in Poultry Feed

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 28, 2025--

Benson Hill, Inc. (Nasdaq: BHIL, the “Company” or “Benson Hill”), a seed innovation company, partnered with a major poultry integrator to complete a second commercial feeding trial to validate the value of including soybean meal derived from Benson Hill’s Ultra-High Protein, Low Oligosaccharide (UHP-LO) soybeans in poultry diets.

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The results confirm that incorporating UHP-LO soybean meal (SBM) in commercial broiler diets substantially improved feed conversion and resulted in heavier broilers, reflecting the higher protein and metabolizable energy present in Benson Hill’s proprietary soybean genetics. These observations reinforce findings from the Company’s first broiler feeding study released in May 2024.

In the six-week trial, broilers fed a diet containing UHP-LO SBM weighed more at processing and grew more muscle versus broilers fed a diet formulated with commodity soybean meal. For this group of broilers, replacing commodity soybean meal in the diet with UHP-LO SBM improved broiler weights by 5.4 percent and feed conversion ratios by 3.2 percent.

Poultry producers have enhanced flexibility with UHP-LO to formulate feeding rations for cost advantage (up to 5 percent in prior studies) and bird performance gains (up to 5.4 percent in this study). These gains are significant and translate across the value chain.

“This latest feeding trial showcases the transformative impact of switching from commodity soybean meal to a high-protein, nutritious option that is truly Made from Better ™,” said Deanie Elsner, Chief Executive Officer of Benson Hill. “These study results not only reaffirm the value of our UHP-LO soybean meal for poultry producers seeking specific outcomes like feed efficiency, but they are also supported by more than two decades of soybean breeding and our technology core. We estimate that choosing specialty soy from Benson Hill can generate approximately $2.2 billion of value annually for the broiler industry.”

Benson Hill will continue to pursue broadacre expansion in feed and expects to broaden its soybean portfolio to more than 35 varieties for the 2025 crop year. Non-GMO UHP-LO soybean varieties, destined for animal feed, demonstrate strong yield performance relative to elite commercial varieties, with herbicide-tolerant varieties expected to be available for the 2026 growing season. For more information on Benson Hill and its proprietary soybean seed portfolio, visit https://bensonhill.com/products/seeds/.

About Benson Hill

Benson Hill is a seed innovation company that unlocks nature’s genetic diversity in soy quality traits through a combination of its proprietary genetics, its AI-driven CropOS ® technology platform, and its Crop Accelerator. Benson Hill collaborates with strategic partners to create value throughout the agribusiness supply chain to meet the demand for better feed, food, and fuel. For more information, visit bensonhill.com or X, formerly known as Twitter at @bensonhillinc.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may be considered “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the Company’s future financial or operating performance and may be identified by words such as “may,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “will,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “predict,” or similar words. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions made by the Company as of the date hereof and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding: the Company’s progress toward an asset-light business model, and the anticipated pace of such transition; the Company’s financial and operating performance during its business transition; the Company’s cost-cutting measures under its expanded Liquidity Improvement Plan and other cost-saving measures, actions to implement such plan, and the anticipated benefits of and timeline to implement such plans; the Company’s current expectations and assumptions regarding the industries and markets in which it operates; potential strategic partnership and licensing opportunities; the Company’s anticipated liquidity, path to profitability, and runway for growth; expectations regarding the sources of expected revenues, costs, profit and earnings; projections of market opportunity; the anticipated advantages, potential and capabilities of the Company’s seed portfolio and innovation pipeline and the expected timeline for the commercialization of the Company’s current and anticipated innovations; anticipated demand for quality soy traits and the Company’s seed innovations; the expected timeline for the expansion of the Company’s seed portfolio; the expected timing and results of planned academic studies and commercial feeding trails; current projections and assumptions regarding the Company’s business and the industries and markets in which the Company currently operates or plans to operate; expectations regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; execution of the Company’s business plan and the strategic review of the Company’s business; any financial or other information based upon or otherwise incorporating judgments or estimates relating to future performance, events or expectations; the Company’s strategies, positioning, resources, capabilities, and expectations for future performance; estimates and forecasts of financial and other performance metrics; the Company’s outlook, and financial and other guidance; and management’s strategy and plans for growth. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: risks associated with the Company’s ability to generally execute on its business strategy, including its transition to an asset-light business model in a timely manner with sufficient liquidity; risks relating to acreage acquisition; risks associated with developing and maintaining partnering and licensing relationships in an asset-light business model, and maintaining relationships with customers and suppliers; risks associated with realizing the anticipated advantages of the Company’s seed innovations and products; the risk that the Company will not realize the anticipated benefits of the divestiture of its soy processing facilities; risks associated with the loss of revenues from the Company’s divestiture of its soy processing facilities; risks associated with growing and managing capital resources; risks associated with changing industry conditions and consumer preferences; risks associated with the Company’s cost-cutting measures under its expanded Liquidity Improvement Plan and other cost saving measures, including potentially adverse impacts on the Company’s business and prospects even if such plans are successful; the risk that the Company’s actions relating to cost-cutting measures under its expanded Liquidity Improvement Plan and other cost saving measures may be insufficient to achieve the objectives of such plans; liquidity and other risks relating to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; risks associated with the Company’s ability to grow and achieve growth profitably, including continued access to the capital resources necessary for growth; risks relating to the failure to raise additional financing to satisfy the Company’s cash needs; risks relating to maintaining key employee, customer, partner and supplier relationships; risks relating to the Company’s exploration of strategic alternatives; risks associated with the failure to realize the anticipated commercial or nutritional benefits of the Company’s UHP-LO soybeans; risks that the benefits validated by the recent trial may not be able to be repeated or improved upon in the future; risks associated with the accuracy and repeatability of feeding trials generally; risks associated with the effects of global and regional economic, agricultural, financial and commodities market, political, social and health conditions; the effectiveness of the Company’s risk management strategies; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in our filings with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company can make no assurances that it will be able to raise additional financing, improve its liquidity position, or continue as a going concern. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. There may be additional risks about which the Company is presently unaware or that the Company currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. The Company expressly disclaims any duty to update these forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law.

Benson Hill, Inc. (Nasdaq: BHIL, the “Company” or “Benson Hill”), a seed innovation company, partnered with a major poultry integrator to complete a second commercial feeding trial to validate the value of including soybean meal derived from Benson Hill’s Ultra-High Protein, Low Oligosaccharide (UHP-LO) soybeans in poultry diets. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Benson Hill, Inc. (Nasdaq: BHIL, the “Company” or “Benson Hill”), a seed innovation company, partnered with a major poultry integrator to complete a second commercial feeding trial to validate the value of including soybean meal derived from Benson Hill’s Ultra-High Protein, Low Oligosaccharide (UHP-LO) soybeans in poultry diets. (Graphic: Business Wire)

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to revive his struggling government but faced growing calls to resign after a disastrous set of local and regional elections for his Labour Party.

As the final results came in Saturday, Labour suffered a net loss of more than 1,100 local council seats across England, lost control of several local authorities it had held for decades and was booted from power in Wales after 27 years. Anti-immigration party Reform UK gained over 1,300 seats across England and made significant gains in legislative elections in Wales and Scotland.

It was a blunt verdict from voters in elections widely seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he led the center-left party to power less than two years ago.

Here are five things we’ve learned from the elections.

Starmer insisted he would not walk away and "plunge the country into chaos,” and the dire election results did not produce an immediate challenge to his leadership.

"The right thing to do is rebuild and show the path forward,” Starmer said Saturday. “That’s what I’m going to do in the coming days.”

Starmer’s Cabinet colleagues expressed support, and none of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers has made a move. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham are keeping quiet for now.

But a growing number of Labour lawmakers urged the prime minister to set a timetable for his departure this year. British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a new election.

“There has to be a timetable,” legislator Clive Betts told the BBC. Another lawmaker, Tony Vaughan, said there should be an “orderly transition of leadership.”

Starmer tried to demonstrate change on Saturday by bringing back two figures from past Labour governments. He made former Prime Minister Gordon Brown a special envoy on global finance, and appointed the party's ex-deputy leader Harriet Harman an adviser on women and girls.

Starmer is due to make a speech on Monday in an attempt to regain momentum, before the government sets out its legislative plans on Wednesday in a speech delivered by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.

The elections were a breakthrough for Reform UK, the latest hard-right party led by the veteran nationalist politician Nigel Farage.

Running on an anti-establishment and anti-immigration message, the party won hundreds of local council seats in working-class areas in England’s north, such as Sunderland, that were solid Labour turf for decades. It also made gains from the Conservatives in areas like the county of Essex, east of London, and increased its vote share in Wales and Scotland, new terrain for the party.

Farage said the results marked a “historic change in British politics.” He said he's confident that “voters who have come to us are not doing it as a short-term protest.”

Reform UK currently holds just eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons and it’s unclear whether it could repeat its success in a national election.

The elections produced semiautonomous administrations in Scotland and Wales led by parties devoted to independence and the breakup of the United Kingdom — though neither has that policy on the front burner.

The Scottish National Party, which has governed in Edinburgh since 2007, won another term but fell short of a majority, meaning an independence referendum is unlikely. Labour and Reform tied in a distant second place.

Plaid Cymru (The Party of Wales) won the most seats in the Cardiff-based legislature, the Senedd. The party, which has an ambition for Wales to leave the U.K. but no plan to do so anytime soon, fell short of a majority but will likely form the new government. Reform came second and Labour a distant third in one of its most historic heartlands, with outgoing First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her seat.

The economy lies at the heart of Labour’s troubles, as it does for many incumbent governments.

Since ending 14 years of Conservative rule roiled by austerity and the COVID-19 pandemic, Labour has struggled to ease the cost of living and jump-start a sluggish economy against the tough economic backdrop of war in Ukraine and, more recently, Iran. Starmer also has angered supporters with attempts to cut welfare spending, some of which were reversed after Labour revolts.

Some in Labour say the government's achievements, including protections for renters and a higher minimum wage, are going unnoticed. Many blame Starmer, an uninspiring leader distracted by scandals including his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

But Stephen Houghton, the outgoing leader of Barnsley council in northern England, where Labour lost to Reform, said the problem “goes deeper than the prime minister.”

“This has been coming for 30 years around the country, in post-industrial communities, coastal communities, that have been left behind,” he said. “You can change prime ministers all day long. If you don’t change policy, it’s not going to change.”

The results reflect a fragmentation of U.K. politics after decades of domination by Labour and the Conservative Party, which also suffered major losses on Thursday.

The elections offered voters a rainbow of choices, including the centrist Liberal Democrats and the nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.

But the big winners were populist insurgents, Reform UK and the Green Party, whose focus has expanded from the environment to social justice and the Palestinian cause under self-described “eco populist” leader Zack Polanski. The Greens won hundreds of council seats from Labour in urban centers and university towns and took control of several local authorities.

Tony Travers, professor of government at the London School of Economics, said the results suggest the next national election, due by 2029, won’t produce a majority for any party.

“So then you’re in the world of, after the election, two or three big minority parties trying to work out how they would govern,” he said — something traditionally considered “very un-British.”

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney with some of the newly elected SNP MSPs in Edinburgh, Saturday May 9, 2026, following the 2026 Holyrood elections. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking to the media after meeting Labour Party members during a visit to AFC Wimbledon in south London, Saturday May 9, 2026. (Maja Smiejkowska/PA via AP)

Observers from the Scottish National Party (SNP) watch as votes are counted for the 2026 Holyrood elections, at Dewars Centre in Perth, Scotland, Friday May 8, 2026. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks to supporters at Chelmsford City Racecourse, Friday May 8, 2026, in Essex, England, following the 2026 local election results. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks to Labour Party members at Kingsdown Methodist Church Hall, in Ealing, west London, Friday May 8, 2026, a day after the local elections. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)